


A Sigh Of Relief

by ih3artgerm



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:54:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28460088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ih3artgerm/pseuds/ih3artgerm
Summary: As you go missing during a mission, Eren realizes he might have lost his chance to confess his feelings for you.
Relationships: Eren Yeager & Reader, Eren Yeager/Reader
Kudos: 107
Collections: EREN JAEGER|AOT





	A Sigh Of Relief

**Author's Note:**

> Request: maybe something along the lines of the reader involuntarily going missing for a while and it scares the shit out of eren ( who has feelings for them ), when they come back, he's partially pissed at them and partially relived. it gets all angsty and he confesses to them. Thanks 💕

The river’s current gently carries your body towards the center of the forest. Water washes away the blood oozing from your head wound. 

You open your eyes to the now setting sunlight shining directly above you. Slowly, you shift your left arm in a manner where it covers your face.

A loud ringing in your ear blocks the song the birds are singing. With your other arm, you touch the soaking wet gear hanging around your waist. 

“Fuck.” You mumble under your breath. While sliding your fingertips up and down your equipment, you feel a small hole in one of the tanks, a faint smell of gas only confirming your suspicions; There is barely any left.

Looking around for an instant, you realize your blades are nowhere to be found, leaving you completely defenseless against the titans.

A gasp gets caught in your throat as you are reminded of the biggest threat of them all, the monsters who inhabit this forest. You try to sit up, only to be welcomed by a pounding headache.

Placing a hand on your head, you feel the warmth of the blood resting against your fingertips. 

“Maybe it’s for the best if I wait until the sun goes down.” You think to yourself. Truth is you are not certain you have the necessary strength to stand up. So you simply allow yourself to give in to exhaustion and fall asleep right there, against the running water.

.

As the cold night breeze hits your skin, you open your eyes to the bright moon lighting your surroundings. Your wet clothes bring your body temperature down to roughly 87.5 ˚F and you can feel your fingers becoming more and more rigid.

A small cloud of steam leaves your body as you bring your hands towards your now blue lips, trying your hardest to keep them warm.

After lifting your body weight up with the help of your arms, you wrap yourself around your cloak. A few things go through your head at this moment, but the most prominent one is how to stay calm and assess the situation you find yourself in right now.

You dig deep into your brain to remember what direction the walls would be in. From all your training, you realize you should head north. You drop your broken equipment in an attempt to reduce your weight and make yourself faster.

The next step is looking at the sky and finding the North Star. It doesn’t take you a minute to find it and start walking in the direction it points you.

“I’ll rest during the day and make my way towards the wall during the night.” You think to yourself as your boots splash the water around you. Feeling gentle drops of rain against your skin, you quicken your pace. “Hopefully soon.”

.

“Please, Commander Erwin, I need to find Y/N!” Eren desperately pleads, seconds away from getting on his knees and begging the tall, blond-haired man for the chance to go looking for you.

A heavy sigh leaves his chest as he places his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “I’m sorry Eren, but you know no one could possibly survive all this time by themselves outside the walls.”

His green eyes become clouded with the tears he has desperately tried to keep in, but the simple thought of losing you, before he even has the chance to tell you how he feels, is enough to send him into a spiral. 

He runs out of the Commander’s office clutching his chest. His boots clicking against the floor as he tries to get as farther away as he can, but before he could get too far, Mikasa grabs his arm, pulling him into her room.

She looks at him for a few seconds as hiccups erupt from his body faster than he could breathe. The black-haired girl wraps her arms around him, pulling him towards her and hugging him as tightly as she can.

Neither of them has the courage to start a conversation, for they know it would involve talking about feelings they are not ready to accept, but Eren knows it needs to be said.

“Y/N is probably dead.” He whispers against her hair, trying to muffle his voice as much as he can.

“Eren, don’t say that,” Mikasa says, for the first time she can’t find the right words to tell him. Nothing in this world would be able to bring him a sense of peace right now.

“How can I not say it?” He yells while pushing her away, his warm tears flowing down his face as he rushes his hands through his hair. A few seconds pass before his legs give up, bringing his body down to the floor.

Mikasa quietly looks at Armin, who just walked through the door, a heart-broken expression taking over her features. The blonde boy kneels beside his grieving friend, his arm wrapping around Eren’s shoulder.

Sobs erupt from his body for a few minutes before he lets out a pained scream, punching the floor so intensely his knuckles are now covered in his own blood and a few speckles of dirt. He tries to take a deep breath and gather the courage to speak.

“I can’t accept it.” He says quietly, looking down as his tears hit the ground.

Mikasa and Armin share a concerned look, but neither of them says anything, they both simply hug Eren as tightly as they can, trying their best to calm him down. Their efforts were in vain. 

.

As the sun now shines brightly in the sky, you try your best to climb a tree, hoping it will be enough to protect you from the titans in the area as you rest for a few hours.

Sitting on a branch, you take a few breathes, trying to forget about the throbbing pain on the back of your head. Using what little strength you have left, you rip the edge of your cloak and wrap the cloth around the wound.

A subtle grunt escapes your lips as you try to find a comfortable position to rest. Once you close your eyes, your thoughts are taken over by the green-eyed boy who’s always by your side. Before drifting to sleep, you can almost feel his hand touching yours as he brightly smiles at you.

Once the sky turns dark, you continue your path towards the wall, always following the stars above you like a map. 

Every so often, you would run into a bush of fresh, small fruit. Shifting what is left of your cloak around your shoulder and torso, you are able to form an easy-to-carry bag, using it to store what little amount of food you find along the way.

This is your life for the next four days. Running as fast as you could during the night and resting while the sun shined. At times, the possibility of giving up and allowing titans to feed on you doesn’t sound so bad, but the idea of leaving Eren alone in this cruel world is enough to quickly push you forward.

At last, your sacrifice paid off as soon as you see the gates of Wall Rose. Using every ounce of strength you have left, you force your legs to keep running until a Garrison Soldier lay his eyes on you, yelling to his comrades to lower the equipment necessary to pull you up.

Once your feet touch the top of the wall, you finally allow your body to collapse on the floor. Dehydrated and exhibiting clear signs of hypothermia, you close your eyes and drift into a well-deserved night of sleep as a soldier quickly takes you to the doctor’s office.

.

As you wake up, before even opening your eyes, you feel someone’s hand touching yours. Slightly, you shift your fingers trying to figure out who it is without having to check.

A gasp escapes the person sitting beside you and, involuntarily, you widen your eyes and allow all the air in your lungs to come out. His tear-filled, green eyes meet yours as he stands up, quickly wrapping your body in a thigh embrace.

In a desperate attempt to feel close to him, you hug Eren back, placing your head against the left side of his chest as you feel his heartbeat. Warm tears drip from your face onto his shirt, leaving a small stain where they land.

Once he pulls away, you notice how his face has turned a deep shade of red, and his bottom lip quivers as he tries to speak.

“Where were you?” He manages to let out, quieter than a whisper. 

You take a deep breath, trying to organize your thoughts and remember as much as you can about what happened to you these past few days.

“I fell off my horse onto the river a minute after Commander Erwin gave the retreat order,” you answer, more tears threatening to fall and you don’t try to stop them. You quietly look at his reaction, but he simply listens to you, tears of his own flowing down his face.

He nods gently, giving you a second to breathe. “It’s ok if you don’t want to talk about it.”

“I do!” You quickly reply, not wanting him to feel like you are keeping this from him. “The river’s current dragged me towards the center of the forest. I woke up in pain and alone.”

“WHY DIDN’T YOU GET UP AFTER FALLING?” Eren screams as he backs away from you, hands curled into fists. You shrug away from him, wide eyes noticing the anger taking over his features.

“I hit my head and passed out.” You whisper, looking out of the window purposefully avoiding his gaze. Eren’s hand touches your chin, forcing you to look into his eyes. You can see all the pain he is feeling.

“I WAS SO AFRAID!” He yells once again before punching your bedside table with his free hand, a loud bang following closely behind. His body trembles as blood pour from his hand-wound, he’s desperately trying in some way to stop the tears that run down his cheeks, onto his neck.

“Eren, I….” You try to break the silence, but he interrupts.

“I thought I was never going to see you again.” His voice breaks and you feel your heart sink in your chest. You try to grab his hand but he is barely out of your reach.

“I always tell you I’m coming back,” you flash him a smile, trying your best to comfort him from afar. “Why were you so worried?”

“Because I’m in love with you.” He says and, for a second, you can feel your heart stop. You stretch your body as far as you can to pull his arm, your fingers tips barely brushing against his skin but enough for you to pull his body towards you.

In a second, he comes crashing down on you, crushing your lungs, but even though you are in pain, you don’t miss the chance. You find the courage to bring your lips together in a love-filled kiss.

His soft lips against your dry ones feel like heaven on earth. You can feel a smile taking over his features and his tears no longer run down, neither do yours.

After a few seconds, you pull away, gesturing for him to get up, which he quickly obliged.

“I don’t know if you can tell,” you say as you grab his hand, “but I’m in love with you too.”

All the sadness in his eyes is now gone. He quickly sits on the hospital bed, never stopping your fingers from touching. He lets out a long sigh and you arch an eyebrow at him.

“I’m so glad to hear that!” He says, his smile growing bigger by the second.

A giggle escapes your throat as you place your hand on his hair, messing it up with your fingertips. He lets out a laugh of his own before moving your hand.

“Welcome home, Y/N.” He says as he touches his forehead to yours. With your now free hand, you wrap it around his neck pulling him closer.

“I’m glad to be back.” You whisper against his lips before pulling him closer for another kiss, not realizing Mikasa and Armin, who has just entered the room.

As they share a look, your friends quietly walk out of the room, a smile of approval on their lips. 

“Told you he was gonna go for it,” Mikasa says, gently bumping Armin’s ribs with her elbow. The blonde boy laughs and shakes his head.

“Took them long enough.” is all he says as they continue their way down the hall.

In your hospital room, Eren wraps his arms around you. The warmth of his body and the smell of his cologne is enough to lull you to sleep, a smile never leaving your lips as you feel safe for the first time in so long.

From now on, you know you’ll always have Eren to protect you and you’ll make sure to be there to protect him.


End file.
